Monthly Archives: September 2014

September 28 is designated “Presbyterians Sharing Sunday” by the General Assembly of our church. Presbyterians Sharing is the name of the fund to which all congregations of our church contribute, in order to fund the work of our national church, including mission work both in Canada and overseas, the development of new congregations, our three theological colleges, the staff of our national church offices in Toronto, the General Assembly, and funding to assist Synods in paying for Synod (or “regional”) staff, to name just a few things.

At our Annual Meeting in February, we accepted an allocation of $3,800 for Presbyterians Sharing (an amount that we commit to giving).As of the end of August, givings to Presbyterians Sharing totaled $1,950 leaving a difference of $1,850 which we need to make up by the end of December; which means we’re doing not too badly

* Christmas Gifts: This past week, gifts that had been donated, to date, were delivered to WICM. We will continue to collect new items, to be used as Christmas gifts, until the end of October. Items may be of any size or category, and for any age or gender. Everything will be appreciated.

*50th Anniversary special needs: A box has been placed at the back of the sanctuary – for donations of new socks and underwear. Our goal is to collect 50 pair by the end of October.

Items from both of these projects will be of great help to the clients of Annishinabe Fellowship Centre, Flora House and Place of Hope. Thank you for your support!

The Session has called two congregational meetings in the next three weeks, to discuss the congregation’s financial situation and possible options for the future.The fact is that the congregation’s revenue has not kept up with its expenses for the past several years, and that money has been withdrawn from the Endowment Fund each year to cover the shortfall.As a result, the balance in the Endowment Fund has been decreasing steadily, and is now in danger of being depleted.The first congregational meeting will be held next Sunday (the 21st), as soon as possible after the service, in the Church Hall (downstairs).It will be an information meeting, at which a number of possible options for the future will be presented and discussed.The second meeting, to be held following the service on Sunday, 5 October, will be for the purpose of making a decision on which option to choose.A letter is being sent out to members and adherents this week, notifying them of these meetings

Mary wants to be a police officer, Fabiyano hopes to be a teacher and Mayeso dreams of being an engineer. All three attend Chikuli Community Day Secondary School in Malawi. Many of the 200 students must walk far distances and lack school fees and supplies to continue their education. These students’ dreams become more achievable every day thanks to a Presbyterian World Service & Development program providing support to secondary school students in Malawi. Mary shares why it’s so important for her to keep going to school: “I am driven because I want to start working as soon as I finish school. Then I will be able to support my family, but also other vulnerable people in my community.” Mayeso adds, “I want to change and grow. And I want the same for my community.”